The discovery provides the latest evidence that the oceans, and many of its unexplored regions, represent a vast resource for new materials that could one day treat a variety of diseases and illnesses.

The team led by William Fenical at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego group first collected the microorganism that produces the compound in 2012 from sediments close to shore off Santa Barbara, California.

Early antibiotic treatment of anthrax is essential—delay significantly lessens chances for survival. In recent years there have been many attempts to develop new drugs against anthrax, but existing drugs are effective if treatment is started soon enough.

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